Top 5 Shows at the Broadway Theatre
From elaborate sets to riveting performances, a night at the broadway theatre is a magical experience. Whether you’re looking for a classic show tune or a new play about family dynamics, Broadway has something to offer everyone.
Screen-to-stage adaptations like Hamilton are proving to be big hits on Broadway, as are shows that tell familiar stories in innovative ways. This season is also seeing the return of a number of long-running plays.
Aladdin
The beloved story of Aladdin and Jasmine takes flight at the New Amsterdam Theatre. A lavish production, it’s filled with unforgettable beauty, magic and comedy, and features all the classic songs from the movie.
Directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw, this dazzling Broadway show features the iconic songs of the 1992 animated Disney film along with four songs that were cut from the movie and an original score from Alan Menken. The cast is led by James Monroe Iglehart as the Genie.
Les Miserables
Les Miserables is an epic tale of unrequited love, sacrifice, and revolution. Based on Victor Hugo’s beloved novel, this acclaimed musical explores themes of injustice, anti-monarchism, moral philosophy, and the types and nature of romantic and familial love.
Cameron Mackintosh’s production of Boublil and Schonberg’s Les Miserables has won countless awards and is one of the world’s longest-running musicals. Don’t miss your chance to experience this legendary show at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre.
The Addams Family
Produced by Stuart Oken and Roy Furman, The Addams Family is the first musical based on Charles Addams’ comic characters. It premiered in 2009 after a limited run in Chicago and opened on Broadway that same year.
John Astin brought a sophisticated, playboy essence to Gomez and a lusty undercurrent between him and Morticia to the screen that had never been seen before. The show lampooned modern art (“The Addamses in the Museum”); Shakespeare (“My Fair Cousin Itt”); and rock n’ roll.
The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera is a musical with music and lyrics by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with a book by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe. It is based on the 1910 novel Le Fantôme de l’Opera by Gaston Leroux.
It premiered on October 9, 1986, at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London and on January 26, 1988 on Broadway. It has won virtually every award in the theatre world, including seven Tony Awards.
The Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a funny Broadway musical that opened at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre in 2011. It’s a hit and has won 9 Tony awards so far. It stars Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad as Price and Cunningham, with Nikki M. James as Nabulungi and more.
South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone met Avenue Q co-creator Robert Lopez while watching a performance of the musical, and the three started developing initial ideas. They later flew to London and spent three weeks writing the basic plot and songs for The Book of Mormon.
The Lion King
Giraffes strut, birds swoop and gazelles leap across the stage in this visually stunning production. Winner of six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, The Lion King combines the imaginative work of its award-winning director Julie Taymor with the evocative music of Elton John and Tim Rice.
The Lion King roared onto Broadway in November 1997, at the New Amsterdam Theatre before moving to the Minskoff Theatre in 2006. This epic tale of family and finding one’s own place in the world continues to enthrall audiences worldwide with its universal themes and breathtaking stagecraft.
Les Misérables: The Musical
Les Misérables, based on Victor Hugo’s novel, is one of the world’s longest-running musicals. This sung-through Broadway classic has been seen by more than 70 million people worldwide. The show has received numerous awards and is a cultural phenomenon. Its grand score is frequently covered by artists including Katherine Jenkins and Susan Boyle – who famously auditioned with it on Britain’s Got Talent.
Cameron Mackintosh’s production of the timeless epic opened in London in October 1985 and subsequently transferred to the West End. The cast includes Ramin Karimloo as Jean Valjean, Earl Carpenter as Javert, and the Broadway veterans Melora Hardin as Fantine and Andy Mientus as Marius.
Wicked
A Broadway classic, Wicked premiered on October 30, 2003. Adapted from Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel, the bewitching musical starred Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda and Idina Menzel as Elphaba.
The movie adaptation of the beloved millennial musical is finally making its way to theaters this Thanksgiving, with Jon Chu (Crazy Rich Asians) directing Part 1 and Part 2 of the film. It stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in the roles of Elphaba and Glinda, respectively.
& Juliet
& Juliet is a modern musical that reimagines Shakespeare’s tragic tale. It combines a whirlwind story of love, loss, and redemption with an unforgettable soundtrack of contemporary and familiar pop songs by producer Max Martin.
This fun and empowering show asks what happens if Juliet of Romeo and Juliet took a different path at the end of her story. The production premiered in Toronto, Canada, in 2022 before making its Broadway debut this fall.